"Only Prettier" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Miranda Lambert | ||||
from the album Revolution | ||||
Released | July 26, 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2009 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:09 | |||
Label | Columbia Nashville | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Miranda Lambert singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Only Prettier" on YouTube |
"Only Prettier" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in July 2010 as the fourth single from her album Revolution . Co-written with Natalie Hemby, the song has both a country girl and city girl facing each other over the differences of their respective lifestyles, coming to an agreement that they have similarities but the former says that she's like her "only prettier". Critics gave praise to Lambert's vocal performance and lyricism but were critical about the song's production.
"Only Prettier" reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, giving Lambert her seventh top 20 hit. It also peaked at number 61 on the Hot 100 chart. The accompanying music video for the song, directed by Trey Fanjoy, features Lambert along with fellow country artists Kellie Pickler, Laura Bell Bundy, and Hillary Scott of Lady A, in dual roles as both "good girls" and "bad girls" at a 1950s high school sock hop.
"Only Prettier" is an up-tempo song in the key of A♭ major backed by electric and steel guitars and percussion. The song's female narrator, a typical rough-and-rowdy country girl, finds herself facing off with a stereotypical city girl ("I got a mouth like a sailor and yours is more like a Hallmark card"). Although the song's verses find the narrator describing the differences between the two, she offers in the chorus that the two actually have quite a lot in common ("You got your friends, just like I got mine") and that they should put their differences aside ("So let's shake hands and reach across those party lines"). She gets the last word in, stating that "[country girls are] just like you, only prettier", but in the very last chorus, she states "I'm just like you, only prettier."
Lambert relates to the song as her own anthem: "It’s antagonistic in a fun way, and I loved the attitude behind it. It kind of fools you, because it’s got this really country, laid-back intro, but then it’s balls-to-the-wall the rest of the way. It’s so much fun!" [1]
Co-writer Natalie Hemby told The Boot that she and Lambert wanted the song to be "clever." She referred to the lyrics as being like "a smack in the face, but you don't realize it. It's like wait ... did you just insult me?" [2]
The song received positive reviews from music critics. Blake Boldt of Engine 145 gave the song a thumbs up, complimenting that "once again, Lambert has bent the iron-clad rules of radio to bring us sharp material like this." He also commented that the "cleverness of her performance makes up for the clumsiness of the production." [3] Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song a B+ rating, comparing it to Lambert's own "Dry Town" and complimenting the lyrics and vocals. However, he was not as impressed with the production, in which he felt "thrashing guitars drown out the steel guitar and come close to overshadowing a great vocal performance from Lambert." [4]
The music video for "Only Prettier" was directed by Trey Fanjoy and filmed in Joelton, Tennessee in June 2010, [5] and premiered on VEVO on August 3, 2010. [6] It features a 1950s theme and appearances by fellow country artists Kellie Pickler, Laura Bell Bundy, and Hillary Scott of Lady A in dual roles. In the video, Lambert and her friends portray two rival cliques — "good girls" dressed in formal white attire with blonde hair, the other as "bad girls" in more provocative dark hair and outfits — attending a high school sock hop. [1] The "bad girl" alter-egos are shown doing things such as spiking the punch, stuffing their bras and smoking. Ultimately, both groups have a good time at the party. Additionally, Lambert is also shown performing with her band on stage at the event.
"Only Prettier" debuted at number 45 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of July 17, 2010. [7] After spending 24 weeks on the chart, it reached a peak of number 12 for the week of December 25, 2010. [8]
Chart (2010–2011) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Country ( Billboard ) [9] | 31 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [10] | 61 |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [11] | 12 |
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [12] | 96 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [13] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | July 26, 2010 | Country radio | Columbia | [14] |
Miranda Leigh Lambert is an American country singer, songwriter and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place on the television program Nashville Star, a singing competition which aired on the USA Network. Outside her solo career, she is a member of the Pistol Annies, a group she formed in 2011 alongside Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. Lambert has been honored by the Grammy Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards. Lambert has been honored with more Academy of Country Music Awards than any artist in history and was named by the Chicago Tribune as the "greatest country music artist of all time" in 2019. In 2024, Lambert was awarded the Country Icon Award at the People's Choice Country Awards.
"Famous in a Small Town" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in April 2007 as the second single from her album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. It was Lambert's second Top 20 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 2008. The song was written by Lambert and Travis Howard.
"Kerosene" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in September 2005 as the third single and title-track to her debut album of the same name. It reached number 15 on the Hot Country Songs chart, Lambert's first Top 20 country hit. It also peaked at number 61 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The working title of the song was "Kerosene ".
American country music singer Miranda Lambert has released eleven studio albums, one extended play, one video album, and has made 23 other album appearances. She has released 39 singles, nine promotional singles, and 37 music videos. Lambert has sold 7 million albums in the United States, with her first seven studio albums being certified platinum. In 2001, Lambert released a self-titled and self-financed independent album. After gaining exposure as the third-place winner of the television competition Nashville Star, Lambert signed with Epic Nashville in 2004.
"White Liar" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in August 2009 as the second single from her album Revolution. Lambert performed "White Liar" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on October 6, 2009, and on the 2009 CMA Awards on November 11, 2009. In December 2009, the song became Lambert's second Top 10 hit and reached a peak of number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of February 6, 2010. The song was written by Lambert and Natalie Hemby.
Revolution is the third studio album by American country music singer Miranda Lambert. It was released on September 29, 2009, via Columbia Records Nashville. The album includes the singles "Dead Flowers", "White Liar", "The House That Built Me", "Only Prettier", and "Heart Like Mine", all of which charted on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
"The House That Built Me" is a song written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin, and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. Blake Shelton was originally set to record the song, but when Lambert heard it, she emotionally reacted to the lyrics, and immediately wanted to record it for herself. It was released in March 2010 as the third single from her third studio album, Revolution. It is the fastest-rising single of her career, reaching the Top 20 in its eighth week. For the chart week of June 12, 2010, the song became Lambert's first number one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and held its place at the top for four consecutive weeks. It is also Lambert's first single of her career that she did not have a hand in writing. Additionally, it was her second single to receive a platinum certification from the RIAA on January 31, 2011.
"Over You" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in January 2012 as the second single from Lambert's album Four the Record.
"Fastest Girl in Town" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in June 2012 as the third single from Lambert's album Four the Record. The song was written by Lambert and Angaleena Presley.
Racheal Lynn Woodward, better known as RaeLynn, is an American singer and songwriter who was a contestant on The Voice in season two (2012). She was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
"Mama's Broken Heart" is a song recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released on January 14, 2013 as the fourth single from Lambert's album, Four the Record (2011). "Mama's Broken Heart" was written by Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally and Kacey Musgraves, and is about a woman losing control after a break-up and ignoring her mother's advice on dealing with such a situation.
"Automatic" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in February 2014 and served as the lead single from her fifth studio album, Platinum. Lambert co-wrote the song with Nicolle Galyon and Natalie Hemby. It was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song.
"Somethin' Bad" is a song recorded as a duet by American country music artists Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood. The song was written by Chris DeStefano, Brett James and Priscilla Renea. It was released as the second single from Lambert's fifth studio album Platinum in advance of the album's release two weeks later. The song premiered at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards on May 18, 2014, and was released for sale the next day.
"Little Red Wagon" is a song written by Audra Mae and Joe Ginsberg, and originally recorded by Mae on her 2012 album Audra Mae and the Almighty Sound. It was covered by Miranda Lambert on her fifth studio album Platinum, and was released as its third single in January 2015.
"Vice" is a song recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released to radio on July 18, 2016, as the lead single from Lambert's sixth studio album The Weight of These Wings (2016). The song was written by Lambert, Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally. "Vice" debuted at number two on the Hot Country Songs chart in August 2016. "Vice" was ranked at number 31 on Rolling Stone's "50 Best Songs of 2016" list.
"We Should Be Friends" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released to radio on December 12, 2016, as the second single from Lambert's sixth studio album The Weight of These Wings (2016).
"Settling Down" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released on September 21, 2020, as the third single from Lambert's seventh studio album Wildcard.
"It All Comes Out in the Wash" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released on July 18, 2019, as the lead-off single from Lambert's seventh studio album Wildcard. The album was released on November 1, 2019.
"Bluebird" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released on December 9, 2019, as the second single from Lambert's seventh studio album Wildcard. The album was released on November 1, 2019. "Bluebird" won the CMA Award for Video of the Year and was nominated for Single and Song of the Year at the 54th Annual Country Music Association Awards. It was also nominated for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
"If I Was a Cowboy" is a song by the American country music singer Miranda Lambert. It was released on October 15, 2021, as the lead single from her ninth solo studio album Palomino. The song was written by Lambert and Jesse Frasure, and produced by Lambert, Luke Dick and Jon Randall.